Sawdust feeder for incinerator

ABSTRACT

Feeding means for an incinerator that continuously injects particle sized combustible material into an incinerator without permitting the uncontrolled flow of air from the ambient atmosphere into the incinerator or the reverse flow of gas and smoke therefrom.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Richard F. Stockman Friendship, N.Y.

[211 App]. No. 867,763

[22] Filed Oct. 3, 1969 Oct. 5, 1971 The Air Preheater Company, Inc. Wellsville, N.Y.

[45] Patented [73] Assignee [54] SAWDUST FEEDER FOR INCINERATOR 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl

[51] 1nt.Cl F23k3/18 FieldofSearch /102, 115,7A;43l/168,175

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,110,452 3/1938 Moyer 110/115 X 2,134,887 11/1938 Panke 110/115X 2,191,712 2/1940 Greenawart.. 110/7 2,220,387 11/1940 Baker 437/ X Primary Examiner-Edward G. Favors Attorneys-Wayne H. Lang and Eldon H. Luther ABSTRACT: Feeding means for an incinerator that continuously injects particle sized combustible material into an incinerator without permitting the uncontrolled flow of air from the ambient atmosphere into the incinerator or the reverse flow of gas and smoke therefrom.

WW mu SAWDUST FEEDER FOR INCINERATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a feeding means for an incinerator whereby particle sized refuse such as sawdust may be moved from a hopper or the like outside the incinerator to a combustion chamber inside the incinerator without directly opening the incinerator chamber to the atmosphere and permitting the free flow or gas or air therebetween.

2. Description of Prior Art In many modern incineration operations such as indicated by US. Pat. No. 3,355,254 and No. 3,403,645 fuel is supplied to a primary incineration chamber where it is first heated to distill a combustible gas which is subsequently burned in an afterbumer or secondary combustion chamber. When a loading door is opened to place a charge of fuel into the incinerator, a surge of air also enters through the door to temporarily provide an excess of oxygen for combustion in the primary chamber resulting in the production of insufficient combustible gas for combustion in a subsequent or secondary combustion chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a loading means effective in moving particulate combustible material such as sawdust into the primary combustion chamber of an incinerator without simultaneously permitting the free flow of air thereto.

More particularly the present invention relates to a centrifugal loading means of the type defined that is easily constructed and readily added onto an incinerator housing to evenly control the supply of combustible particulate matter thereto in such a manner as to achieve effective elimination thereof.

A more complete understanding of my invention may be realized by referring to the following description which may be viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the loading means according to this invention as applied to a conventional incinerator hous- "'8,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the loading means on an incinerator housing,

F IG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the feeding disc,

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the feeding pattern of paired feeders on opposite sides of the incinerator housing, and

HG. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of feeding arrangement.

In the drawings the numeral indicates the housing of an incinerator having a loading port 12 at one or both sides through which the incinerator may be charged with particulate combustible material such as sawdust. A spaced opening 15 at the upper end of the incinerator housing provides an outlet for smoke and other gaseous products produced within the incinerator when the trash therein is subjected to suitable elevated temperatures. A door 17 provides ready access to the chamber inside the housing 10 for ash removal or internal repair, while apertured air supply pipes 19 on opposite sides of the chamber provide a supply of oxygen required for the partial combustion of organic matter within the chamber 14. The inner side of the housing is coated with a temperature resistant coating 15 that insulates the high interior temperatures from the atmosphere.

The loading port 12 comprises an opening on one or both sides of the incinerator housing 10 through which the particulate organic material to be burned may be fed to the fire being maintained at the bottom of the incinerator chamber 14.

The feeder itself comprises a housing 22 at one or opposite sides of the incinerator housing adjacent port 12 which opens directly into the interior of the incinerator housing. The bottom of the feeder housing 22 is apertured to receive a central shaft 24 on the upper end of which a disc 26 is axially mounted for rotation about its essentially vertical axis. The shaft 24 is mounted in bearings 28 and is rotated about its axis by a motor 32 acting through a reducing gear arrangement 34. Sealing means 36 between the shaft 24 and the feeder housing 22 prevents the flow of ambient air from the atmosphere into the combustion chamber of the incinerator.

The feeder disc 26 is comprised of a hard material having a high impact strength and a great resistance to abrasion whereby its continuous contact with moving particles of matter to be burned will not easily abrade it and thus require early replacement. Thus a feeder disc comprised entirely of hardened stainless steel or the like is deemed suitable for most applications although this application is not to be limited to a disc of a particular material.

The feeder disc 26 is provided with the cleaner vanes 27 which are formed integrally with its underside and rotate therewith as centrifugal slingers to throw out by centrifugal force any particulate matter from hopper 42 that may bypass the disc 26 and may otherwise become lodged between the disc 26 and the housing 22.

The top side of the disc is formed with a plurality of radial slinger vanes 30 which when rotating serve to hit against the sawdust falling from above and fling it into the incinerator housing. The sawdust or the like is adapted to fall onto disc 26 at a point substantially midway between the center of the disc and its outer periphery whereby it is quickly contacted by the vanes 30 and exhausted through the opening 12 into the incinerator.

The shaft 24 sometimes requires the cooling means shown in FIG. 2 as a tubular cover 33 that concentrically surrounds the shaft and serves as a duct for cooling air. A slinger 35 which rotates with the shaft 24 as a centrifugal blower moves the air axially along the shaft and exhausts it outwardly therefrom.

A modified form of device would omit the sealing means 36 from its position surrounding shaft 24 to produce duct 37 through which air may be drawn readily by the rotating vanes 27 acting as the vanes of a centrifugal blower as shown in FIG. 5. The air provided may be sufficient for the controlled combustion of particulate matter within the chamber 14. Thus control valve 39 in duct 41 may be regulated to provide a predetermined amount of air for the proper combustion rate within the incinerator. If all the air required for combustion is supplied through duct 41 the usual supply pipes 19 may be completely eliminated from the incinerator housing.

The sawdust or other particulate matter to be burned is fed from a hopper 42 by a revolving star wheel 44 rotated slowly by a motor 45 down to an axially offset portion of the revolving disc 26. Upon dropping upon the surface of the revolving disc it is caught by the vanes 30 and flung by centrifugal force through opening 33 into the combustion chamber where it is consumed according to a predetermined plan of combustion.

A single feeder disc 26 would throw particulate matter into the combustion chamber with an uneven pattern of distribution that varies from a heavy loading on one side to light loading on the other. By arranging similar feeders on opposite sides of the incinerator housing, the feeding distribution pattern of the several feeders may be made to partially overlap so that the areas of light loading will receive material from both sides whereby the end result is a substantially even concentration of material over the entire combustion chamber in the manner shown by FIG. 4.

While this invention has been described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing it is apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. An incinerator having a housing including a loading opening for the supply of particulate fuel thereto and an exhaust opening for the exhaust of gaseous products of combustion therefrom, loading means mounted adjacent the loading opening to feed the particulate fuel into the incinerator,

matter that escapes contact with the slinger vanes on the upper surface of the feeder disc.

2. An incinerator with a housing having a loading opening and an exhaust opening as defined in claim 1 including a passageway for air to the underside of said feeder disc whereby air for combustion is simultaneously supplied to the incinerator by rotation of the cleaning vanes on the feeder disc. 

1. An incinerator having a housing including a loading opening for the supply of particulate fuel thereto and an exhaust opening for the exhaust of gaseous products of combustion therefrom, loading means mounted adjacent the loading opening to feed the particulate fuel into the incinerator, said loading means comprising a hopper arranged to receive a mass of particulate matter for combustion, a feeder housing subjacent thereto and outboard from the loading opening, a feeder disc in said feeder housing having slinger vanes on the upper surface thereof for advancing the particulate fuel from the feeder disc through the loading opening of the incinerator, means for rotating the feeder disc about its axis to impart centrifugal force to the particulate fuel being supplied thereto, and cleaning means on the underside of said feeder disc adapted to void the space adjacent thereto of particulate matter that escapes contact with the slinger vanes on the upper surface of the feeder disc.
 2. An incinerator with a housing having a loading opening and an exhaust opening as defined in claim 1 including a passageway for air to the underside of said feeder disc whereby air for combustion is simultaneously supplied to the incinerator by rotation of the cleaning vanes on the feeder disc. 